ALYSANNE McGaffey brings 50 years of experience as a working artist to her exhibition “Earth, Sea and Spirit: Coming Full Circle,” which opens with a reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Oct. 7 at ARTshare 25 in San Mateo.

“Earth, Sea and Spirit” will include paintings in watercolor, oil and mixed media, as well as a wood block work. Curated by Arabella Decker, the exhibition centers on McGaffey’s “painting meditations on the sublime.”

McGaffey began her studies at the University of Washington in Seattle. She came to the Bay Area in the 1950s to study on scholarship at the San Francisco Art Institute, where she worked with Joan Brown, Manuel Neri, Nathan Oliveira and other noted artists in the early years of the Bay Area figurative movement.

There also were “many brilliant people from Europe who came to the Bay Area, which jazzed up an already vital art scene,” McGaffey notes. North Beach was lively, she remembers, “but it was not a wealthy time.” Rents were $10 a month and dinner with dessert and a bottle of wine ran up a tab of about $1. “There weren’t galleries, so we were doing art for art’s sake.”

In Washington she had concentrated on sculpture, but never went back to it after coming to the San Francisco Art Institute. Initially she did figurative work in oil and later turned to watercolor.

In 1974, McGaffey completed a B.F.A. at the College of Notre Dame (now Notre Dame de Namur University) in Belmont, studying under artist and historian David Ramsey, followed by an M.F.A. in painting at Lone Mountain College (now the University of San Francisco).

McGaffey took further studies at San Francisco State University, the University of California, Berkeley; College of San Mateo and Caada College. She taught children’s art extensively and continues to teach adults on a private basis.

Her works are in numerous private and public collections locally and abroad. Her exhibition record spans five decades.

From 1996 to 2004, McGaffey was a Cultural Arts Commissioner for the City of Pacifica, chairing that group for two years. She also is a past Secretary of ARTshare and past president of the Coastal Arts League.

Her ARTshare 25 exhibition will be on view through Nov. 30. The gallery is on the second floor at 32 W. 25th Ave. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. For more information, call (650) 287-2611.
Anniversary show

For the month of October, The Gallery is celebrating its 31st anniversary with an exhibition featuring works by all its artists. Now at 329 Primrose Road, Burlingame, The Gallery opened in 1974 in the back room of an antique shop, moving to its present location two years later.

Co-owners Janet Manning and Harriet Hinton represent 30 nationally known painters, glass artists and sculptors. The Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, or by appointment by calling (650) 347-9392.

ceramics and clay sculpture by Karen Truesdell, are the paired exhibits at The Main Gallery in Redwood City through Oct. 10.

The Main Gallery is at 1018 Main St. Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. For more information, call (650) 701-1018.

Menlo exhibit

The Menlo Art League’s annual exhibit opens with a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday in the downstairs conference room of the Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St. Juried by Bay Area artist Charlotte Britton, the show remains through Oct. 30. Call Shirley McKelvey at (650) 856-1209 or e-mail mckelveysj@earthlink.net.

Looking for artists

Artists interested in showing their work or demonstrating their art for 30 and 1 Artists’ television shows on channels 26 and 27 may call Robert Weisgerber at (650) 342-9383. It’s an opportunity to share your talent with the community.

In addition to its television programs, 30 and 1 Artists meets the second Wednesday of each month to share techniques and inspiration. Meetings begin at 7:30 p.m. at the San Mateo Senior Center, 2645 Alameda de las Pulgas, San Mateo. For more information, call Gay Gentry at (650) 573-9832.

Information on visual and literary arts can be sent to Bonny Zanardi, San Mateo County Times, 1080 S. Amphlett Blvd., San Mateo, CA 94402, faxed to (650) 348-4446 or

Elon Musk unveiled his underground transportation tunnel on Tuesday, allowing reporters and invited guests to take some of the first rides in the revolutionary albeit bumpy subterranean tube — the tech entrepreneur's answer to what he calls "soul-destroying traffic."